[naviga:h3]Court denies man’s appeal in dog case[/naviga:h3]

PITTSBURGH — A Pennsylvania court has denied an appeal from a man convicted of killing a police dog, dismissing his argument that a juror should have been removed for crying during the trial.

John Rush was convicted in 2014 of killing a Pittsburgh police dog named Rocco. One of the jurors started crying as the court listened to a police radio recording of the incident.

In a subsequent break at the trial, Rush’s attorney asked the judge to remove her, saying emotion might affect her ability to judge the case fairly. The judge refused.

The Superior Court upheld that decision Thursday, saying Rush did not prove that the juror’s crying affected the impartiality of the panel.

[naviga:h3]Team’s items stolen from vans in Philly[/naviga:h3]

PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pittsburgh rowing team says their uniforms were among items stolen from team vans as they prepare for a big race in Philadelphia.

The team says the vans were broken into Thursday on a road running along Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River, where the Dad Vail Regatta is scheduled to start Friday.

A post on the team’s Facebook page says they are trying to stay focused on the race.